Episode:25'
"Air" is episode 25' of Neon Genesis Evangelion. It aired as a corresponding "replacement" episode for Episode 25; along with Episode 26', the two combined to make up The End of Evangelion. Overview With the Angels defeated, Commander Gendo Ikari and SEELE finally break their relationship and Gendo attempts to start Third Impact with Rei and the Angel Lilith in Terminal Dogma. SEELE orders the Japanese Strategic Self Defense Forces (JSSDF) to attack Tokyo-3 and NERV Headquarters, culminating in vaporizing Tokyo-3 with an N² mine. Asuka uses Unit-02 to repulse the JSSDF's attack on NERV, prompting SEELE to retaliate by sending in the nine Mass Production Evangelions, Units 05 through 13, to fight Unit-02. Meanwhile, Misato rescues Shinji from advancing JSSDF troops and brings him safely to Unit-01, but is mortally wounded. Ritsuko tries to initiate NERV HQ's self-destruct as an act of petty revenge against Gendo, but it doesn't work, at which point Gendo fatally shoots her. In a spectacular heated battle, a reawakened Asuka is able to defeat all of the MP Evangelions, but Unit-02's batteries run out, and the MP Evangelions reactivate despite their wounds because they are fitted with S² Engines. The MP Evangelions proceed to eviscerate Unit-02. Shinji leaves the Geofront in Unit-01 and, upon seeing the remains of Unit-02, loses his last hold on sanity. Synopsis End of Evangelion begins shortly after the end of the twenty-fourth episode of the Neon Genesis Evangelion television series. Shinji is standing near the flooded ruins of Tokyo-3, despondent over killing Kaworu. to the NERV hospital to see the comatose Asuka, pleading for her to help him. Desperately shaking Asuka, Shinji accidentally removes her hospital gown, exposing her breasts and panties. Shinji masturbates to the sight of a naked Asuka, and is then filled with self-disgust over what he has done. Alone in her car above the ruins of Tokyo-3, Misato reviews the truths she has learned using the now-deceased Kaji's leads. The true purpose of SEELE pursuing the Human Instrumentality Project is to force the final evolution of humanity, which it views as a doomed race, into a single, perfect being. SEELE intends to use the Evangelions, rather than Adam or NERV, to carry out Third Impact. Gendo and Fuytusuki meet with SEELE for one final confrontation. SEELE declares that after the Spear of Longinus was lost after Gendo ordered its use to defeat Arael, the fifteenth Angel, Lilith can no longer be used as a medium to begin Third Impact. Evangelion Unit-01, the only Evangelion born from Lilith, is the last available medium. Gendo disagrees with SEELE that humanity must become extinct in order to achieve Instrumentality. After Gendo tells SEELE that death achieves nothing, SEELE shoots back that as punishment for his betryal, they will grant him death. Rei awakens in the middle of the night, knowingly glancing at the full moon. She leaves her apartment and heads to Central Dogma. Rei leaves behind Gendo's eyeglasses, which she has apparently crushed and broken into pieces. In an attempt to stop Gendo, SEELE attempts to hack into the Magi system using the other five Magi systems in Matsushiro, the United States, Germany, and China. At Gendo's request, the still-imprisoned Ritsuko installs a defensive firewall to defeat SEELE's hacking attempt. With their bloodless takeover attempt foiled, SEELE tricks the Japanese government into attacking NERV by claiming that Gendo intends to end the world and begin Third Impact. A full division of Japanese Strategic Self Defense Force troops mounts a large-scale assault on NERV Headquarters. The JSSDF soldiers ruthlessly execute all NERV personnel, including non-combatants and those trying to surrender. The top priority of the attack is to kill the Evangelion pilots and the capture the Evangelions. Guessing at this goal, Misato has the comatose Asuka placed in Unit-02, which is to be hidden within the Geo Front's lake. Rei cannot be found by NERV personnel, and Shinji ignores the order to retreat to Unit-01, instead choosing to hide deep within Central Dogma. Misato asks Hyuga to take command while she leaves to personally put Shinji in Unit-01. Misato finds and saves a sullen Shinji from being executed by JSSDF soldiers. She tells Shinji about Instrumentality, and that the Second Impact was the result of humans trying to revert Adam to an embryonic state before awakening the other Angels. Misato also discloses to him that humans are the progeny of Lilith, which makes humans the eighteenth Angel. She implores Shinji to destroy the entire Evangelion series in order to prevent Third Impact. Misato brings Shinji to the backup elevator leading to Unit-01, but she is mortally wounded by JSSDF soldiers in the process. Bleeding, she passionately kisses Shinji and tells him, "That was an adult kiss, we'll do the rest when you get back." Misato hands Shinji her crucifix necklace and pushes him into the elevator before collapsing. With her last breaths, Misato wonders if Kaji will believe she has done the right thing. A brief image of Rei is seen standing over her body before the area is destroyed by an explosion. While the elevator takes him to Unit-01, Shinji sees blood on the necklace Misato gave him, and sobs as he realizes that was the last time he will ever see Misato alive. Meanwhile, Asuka is hidden away in the sunken Unit-02, but she is still unable to activate it. The JSSDF begins to throw depth charge on Unit-02, frightening Asuka after she felt the threat of death and begins saying "I don't want to die". Realizing that her mother's soul was inside her Eva all the time, Asuka returns back to herself and reactivates Unit-02 and destroys the JSSDF attack force's aircraft and ground vehicles. SEELE, enraged of the interruption of their plans, send the Mass Production Evangelions, piloted by the Dummy plugs, to eliminate Unit-02. Asuka succeeds in disabling SEELE's Evas but the severing of Unit-02's external power cable, makes Asuka unable to move after her battery runs out of power along with the MP Evangelions reactivating due to their S² Engines, cause her to be defeated as the EVAs prove to be far more resilient than they first appear. Shinji is unable to join the battle after he finds that his EVA is encased in Bakelite, making it impossible for him to enter it. However, the EVA's bond to Shinji allows the EVA to break through the Bakelite by itself, allowing Shinji to enter the EVA. Shinji was able to reach the GeoFront, but he was too late, since Unit-02 was eviscerated by the MP Evangelion. Shinji screams in horror as SEELE's version of Third Impact begins. Quotes *'SEELE member': "The fate of destruction is the joy of rebirth." *'Asuka': "I don't want to die..." *'Misato' (after kissing Shinji): "This is an adult kiss. Let's do the rest when you come back". See also *Episode 25 Category:Episodes